The dramatic increase in the use of sport and recreation equipment during the 1980s and 1990s has created a substantial market for vehicle mounted equipment racks. Although exercisers and outdoor enthusiasts rack everything from kayaks and canoes to sailboards and surfboards, bicycles and skis are still the most common pieces of equipment carried on cars, pick-up trucks and sport utility vehicles. A variety of different vehicle equipment racks are commercially available. Top mounted racks are the most popular. Top mounted racks, however, are often hard to use, particularly with bicycles and on taller vehicles like sport utility vehicles and pick-up trucks. Rear mounted racks are less popular than top mounted racks despite the fact that they are easier to reach, perhaps because some rear mounted racks must be removed to access the rear of the vehicle while others afford only limited access to the rear of the vehicle.